Strengthening Romania’s profile as a regional pillar of security and stability inside NATO and the European Union is a steady goal of the Ministry of National Defense (MApN), Minister in charge Gabriel Les said at the 2018 stocktaking meeting of the Navy General Staff.

“One of the major goals of the Ministry of National Defense has been and is strengthening Romania’s profile as a regional pillar of security and stability inside NATO and the EU, the Black Sea region being one of the most important strategic landmarks in the current security context. The security situation in the Black Sea region continues to be unstable and unpredictable. The Romanian Navy must be a modern, professional and dynamic structure, endowed with ships capable of interoperating with those of the peer structures in the North Atlantic Alliance states, and providing the opportunity to train and participate in complex naval operations under NATO command,” said DefMin Gabriel Les.

In his turn, Navy Chief of Staff, Rear-Admiral Alexandru Mirsu, said that in 2019 the Navy will focus efforts on ensuring stability and security at the eastern border of the North-Atlantic Alliance and the European Union, while at the same time reinforcing the skills of the Navy troops through participation in numerous exercises. Romanian marines will participate this year, in a first, in missions in the Afghanistan theater of operations.

Also on Tuesday, the Minister of Defense participated in the Air Force Staff 2018 activity report meeting. Gabriel Les said on the occasion that “in the context of the process of reconfiguring the Alliance’s military-strategic deterrence and defense posture,” Romania needs “credible military capabilities with adequate endowment and well-trained troops.”

“The recovery of the Defense budget and taking it to an upward trend is a major priority for Romania in the current highly complex security context. Romania remains firmly committed to reaching this level of funding in 2018 and maintaining it in the next decade,” DefMin Les underscored.

The Navy Commander, Vice-Admiral Alexandru Mirsu, said on Tuesday at the annual activity-review meeting, that the sea and river ships had carried out a total of more than 1,000 missions in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea and Danube River, in the national and multinational framework, together with the NATO partners, reads a release of the Navy Staff.

Chief of Navy Staff, Vice-Admiral Dr. Alexandru Mirsu, said during Tuesday’s annual meeting, attended by the Minister of National Defense, Gabriel Les, Chief of General Staff, General Nicolae Ciuca that the exercises on the sea and the river were the priority for 2018 for the Romanian Navy.

According to the report, the most important exercise, planned and carried out by the Romanian Navy in 2018, the SEA SHIELD, involving military ships from five states and two NATO naval groups, included sequences of high combat complexity against threats from the three natural environments (air, land and underwater).

“For the current year, we intend to continue to strengthen the skills of the FNR troops by participating in numerous exercises at sea as well as in exercises organized by Alliance partners in Europe. In addition, in 2019, Marine infantrymen will be a premier for our force category, by executing real missions in theaters of operations in Afghanistan,” Mirsu said.

As to the force package to be made available for the Alliance in 2019, Vice-Admiral Mirsu announced that it would be made up of a T22 frigate, a mine sweeper and a group of EOD divers that will carry out missions under NATO command.

At the end of the meeting, the Navy chief reminded that the projects for modernization and endowment with new naval platforms will ensure the fulfillment of the commitments assumed by Romania towards the Alliance partners and will strengthen our security status at the eastern border of NATO and the EU. He also said that the status of Romania as a Danube country should be strengthened through partnerships with the other riparian countries and also by naval exercises on the river.

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